I'm in San Diego for a work conference. It was probably no mere coincidence that I arrived on L. Frank Baum's birthday. I played hookey from the conference one morning to visit Coronado Island which was Baum's retreat after the smash success of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - the book that would posthumously be the world-wide hit movie.
The Hotel del Coronado was The Royal Historian of Oz's winter home and the place where he would pen several of the subsequent Oz novels. Later, he would even rent a home on the island to continue to visit what he considered paradise on earth. With year-round perfect weather, San Diego and Coronado Island would prove time and time again the ideal back drop to draft his world-famous books. I visited as Aurah. I continue to verify the energetic connection between Baum and the Default World through this artistic alter-ego of myself. I stood on the beach and looked out at the Pacific Ocean. I couldn't help but see Rinkitink and Bilbil washing onto the Island of Pingaree in the book Rinkitink in Oz. And as I roamed the Hotel del Coronado and explored its over-the-topness, I of course thought of Princess Ozma and her royal accoutrements. I even bought some crown place holders in the gift shop. I watch in wonder as I continue to explore as Aurah, well after I turned in the paper for school. Picture below from the hotel's website. It's Baum reading his stories to the children on the island.
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With one accidental "delete" I wiped out the original Oz podcast series (the one with all the pictures and colorful commentary on a weekly blog) that I managed from December 2016 to February 2017. In hindsight it was the best thing ever! Because now I had the motivation to get my act together and re-organize the website and understand better what I really want to do with all this Oz material. What would turn me on completely? What does Aurah-as-Me want to share with the world? I love to witness the connections between things and events and write about them. I love a big story-arc. I love to capture the details I notice and to process them with the written and spoken Word.
So I made some changes. I placed a simple list of recordings on the Oz Episodes page and password-protected it along with this unfolding blog / podcast recordings page and the About Aurah page. With one deft move I shield my sisters Aujah and Audah from being collateral damage of any kind, should anyone in their lives link either one of them up with an unconventional "art project" such as this. Their pictures are all over the place, after all. In addition, I have created a safe space for myself to express. A free place of expression where I can navigate the Default World as Aurah with less worrying and fretting. I know my programming really well and I know what I would do if I allowed my Presence to falter and slip back into the default samsaric state for any length of time. Besides, I've just asked some in my "inner circle" to start calling me "Aurah" which could get awkward real fast. And if I don't articulate it, then I'm not consciously authoring my life, now am I? [Not true anymore. All is transparent now.] My Default World can get a little stressful sometimes and I have my ways of dealing with it - meditation, books, workshops I attend, yoga and more. I manage a decent-sized team and raise lots and lots of money for a wonderful organization in my community. Sometimes my role there has a very public face and I would prefer not to fret about jeopardizing my opportunity to work there or the organization's reputation in any way. I am only here to serve my community. I leave in a couple of days for a work conference in San Diego and one of my team members reminded me yesterday that Coronado Island is just off the shore. In a flash I remembered that L. Frank Baum wrote several of the Oz books while living on the island. Looks like Aurah is going to pay a visit. Adventures are almost guaranteed... That's what this blog is for. I see that now. May it be so! As Aurah, I have an inexplicable ability to activate and explore synchronicities. Last night The Three Adepts of Magic (deep sub-plot characters from the final book in the series, Glinda of Oz) went to see Straight Outta' Oz by Todrick Hall. He said on stage that he was the biggest Oz fan ever. Ok... but he hasn't met Aurah yet. [I/We] really [am/are] straight outta' Oz! Our meeting is destined to happen and I shall allow it. How, I have no idea yet. Not forcing this is important. Maktab! Straight Outta' Oz is worth seeing and last night was basically my very own private Comic-Con. Todrick riffs on a deeply personal story of being an opening gay black man from a religious family in East Texas. It's singing, dancing, theatrics and so much more. The synchonicities and resonances are too many to mention and hopefully I'll feel inspired to articulate them all soon. Like, literally, I need more time to process it all. Sharing our baby picture one more time for giggles. Straight outta' Oz, indeed! I mean, look at that! Identifying with Aurah more and more is immensely empowering and bizarre. The day is coming when I make the name switch. Tick-tock. Summoning the courage. Stand by...
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DescriptionPeriodic updates from Aurah in the Field. Adept Archives
June 2020
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